Sign and method of making it



J. T. COCHRAN SIGN AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed 0G13. 1'7, 1932 Parenteel Feb. 5, 1935 1,990,224 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,990,224 SIGN AND METHOD oF MAKING 1T Joseph T. Cochran, Chicago, Ill. Application october 17, 1932, serial No. 638,140

-1 claims. (o1. 4o-136i This invention relates in general to the makedges of a letter, and by grinding or cutting the ing of signs and sign characters of glass or other rear surface of a, letter only at the rear edges material and has more particular reference to of the letter which does not materially affect signs or sign characters made of glass or other the reflecting Surface, provides a lneanS for ac- 5 transparent and reflecting material. curately limiting the reflecting surface and the 5 one of the principal objects of the invention is material applied thereto, affords side protecting in the making of a sign letter or character by edges for the reflecting surface and also propressing it out of molten glass with accurately Vides a rear Surface by means of Which a letformed edges which are cut or ground at the ter 0r character may be accurately applied 0r 3 rear side thereof, attached in making up any sign as desired. l0

A further object of the invention is in the Referring noW more particularly to the draWf provision of an entire sign made up of a numing, a Sign 8 iS represented in Fig. 1 aS caSt in ber of letters, characters and designs which may a Single piece of glaSS compriSing a number of be cast at one time with a connecting plate or letters 9 carried by a plate 10 ofthe Sameima- 0 background, terial, the face of the plate usually being colored l5 A further object of the invention is in the proafter the formation of the Sign between and vision of an accurately formed letter or characaround the letters by the application of paint or ter with a reflecting surface'at thev proper locaany other Suitable Coloring medium which makes tion with respeet to e, from; lens portion, the the letters stand out clearly from the surface i 0 formed rear edges of which may be eut or ground, of the plate 10 whether the'sign is illuminated 20v providing a protecting Surface for the reflector 01 110i). The letters 9 Of the Sign are eaCh 'formed at the rear of the letter and also providing means With an outwardly rounded continuous lens porby which the lei-,ter may be attached to a suption 11 and with a rear reflecting surface 12 r porting/ plate or sign without appreciabiy affect` comprising a plurality 0f small, circular depres- 0 ing the concentration or reflection of light rays. sions Each letter iS attached to the plate by a l5 other objects of the invention will appear thin connector or neck 13 so that the rear rehereinafter, the preferred construction and the lBCtOl 12l 0f the letter S Substantially flush With method 0f forrnng the letters of signs being i1- the Outer face 0f the plate 10 and the iIefleCtlustreted in the ee'eompanyingdrawing ing surface 12 is in effect depressed from the rear In the drawing7 Fig 1 is a feoe view of o, sign of the "plate 10 conforming to but slightly less 30 embodying the principles of this invention; in size than the outer exposed portion of the Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illuslettertrating the method of casting or forming a sign A Sign of this kind iS produced by upper and of this kind; lower molding parts 14 and 15 which are moved Fig, 3 is a section of a letter as taken on the together with molten glass therebetween and 35 i line 3-3 of Fig. 1; have the corresponding depressions and projec'- Fig. 4 is a. sectional view of a Single letter as tions to produce the letters and characters of formed by this method of casting before the surthe Sign, aS deSired. l plus material is removed; and In the formation of individual letters it has Fig. 5 is a section of a letter or character after been found that the thin neck 13 yif located with- 40 the surplus material is cut or removed from a in the plane 0f 0r behind the reecting surface letter. 12, as referred to the front lens portion 11, has In forming letters or characters from glass little or no effect upon the reception or disperor similar material, and for making complete Sion of light rayS by the lenS portion 11. signs, the most satisfactory results are obtained 0n the other hand it iS Very diiiiclllt to cast 45 by locating the reecting surface of the letter letters of glass or similar material without adat a certain point with respect to the outer or vllelfing portions 16 and 17 between and outside lens portion which requires that the reliecting of but connected to the letter. If this surplus surface be inset with respect to a common plate material iS attached cloSe tothe reflecting surof the same material in the formation of a comface it InllSt be chipped or broken aWay from 50 plete sign embodying a number of letters or charthe remainder of the letter which leaves the acters, and this principle of insetting the refiectedge very rough and unsightly, causing many ing surface in forming the letters or characters of the letters to be discarded because of imis utilized in the formation of single letters thereperfections. It is also difficult and costly to by providing a method of accurately forming the remove the adhering surplus from the edges of the letters because they are irregular in shape.

5 a recess 18 at the back of and conforming to the letter, and by providing grooves 19 at the outer face of and clearly outlining the letter, a connecting portion 20 is formed as an extension of the reduced neck 13, as shown-in Fig. 3, which may be cut or ground as on a line 21, as'indicated in Fig. 4, thereby providinga letter asl shown in Fig. 5, having at or ground edges 22, defining a plane at the rear of the reecting surface 12 by means of which the letter can be accurately set or mounted. Being offset from the surface 12 it also provides a surface for a protective coating 23 such as paint or varnish by means of which a silvered or reflecting coating 24 is sealed and protected. This coating 23 or artiilcial light the letters will glow or shine at a wide angle thereby producing a sign which is strikingly brilliant and attractive, but actually simple and inexpensive in construction, readily replaceable 'if broken, and subject to a wide variation of colors and effects at a minimum cost.

I claim:

1. A transparent sign comprising a plurality of characters, each having a front convex lens and a substantially4 at back madeup of innumerable small close-spaced circular depressions entirely lling the space which they cover and having thin marginal portions atl the rear `edges of all the characters and a common plate to which the characters are integrally connected by said marginal portions.

2. A glass sign comprising a plate having characters formed therefrom, each comprising a front convex lens portion projecting from the 

